Orbital Warfare Act
The Orbital Warfare Act is a legal document that was created by the United Nations on Earth shortly after the exodus of Humanity in the 2300s from the Sol system. Its purpose was to set rules and guidelines for space combat situations, especially those that occured while in orbit around a planetary body. The Act was enforced by the UNSC and New CMA, with many infractions punishable depending on the severity of the breach. The Act This Orbital Warfare Act is a binding legal document that is seen and accepted by every space captain or naval officer upon stepping into a command position due to the nature of space combat and the risks associated with such interaction. #Ships entering into a combat position must maintain at the very least a 10 kilometer spacing between vessels for ships massing over frigate mass tonnage. Ships massing underneath this tonnage may have that gap closed to five kilometers. ##As a corallory of this, shuttles, support craft, and transport ships are exempt from the standard distance factor under the stipulations that once a craft has entered visible range, the commanding officer is flying at his or her own discretion. In the event of an impact that causes damage to a ship and/or loss of life, the commanding officer will be punished depending on the severity of the event with jail time a certainty. #Ships and Space Stations entering combat may not under any circumstances search for a targetting vector nor lock weapons of a high-mass driver weapon (e.g. MAC cannons) while in the direct view of a planetary body that is known to support an ecosystem that can also support Human life. In the event that this article is breached, the commanding officer responsible for this is to immedietely submit to a disciplinary hearing whereupon a court-martial or execution may be ordered depending on the severity of the event proportional to the environmental damage and loss of organic life. In the event that the planet is not host to any form of life, this article can be averted. In addition to this, the firing officers responsible for the dischrarge of a high-mass accelerator weapon will also be court-martialed for failing to refuse the order. ##Manual firing of a high mass accelerator weapon is not encouraged except only under special circumstances. All firing calculations must be made through computer aid in order to minimize any form of collateral damage throughout the battle. In the event that a high mass accelerator round is discharged through logged manual operation (this can be determined through either an AI's combat log or through bridge computer command records), the commanding officer and/or firing officer must submit to a reviewed report in order to explain their reasoning. In the event that this report is not deemed 'acceptable' by the reviewing party, the officer in question will have a permenant military record mark and or a probationary period instilled. ###Under some circumstances may firing upon a planetary body that supports an ecosystem and Human life may be allowed to occur for tactical reasons. In the event of an enemy invasion or engagement at or below the Karman Line (100 kilometers above a planet's surface), low velocity amplifications may be allowed to disable enemy ships. Bear in mind that this action must be cleared by an officer of Rear Admiral or above and a magnetic charge of 50% or lower must be used for such a tactic. In the event that such a firing is not cleared by the aformentioned personnel, continue to follow Article One. ##In the event that an AI unit allows the parts of this articles to be carried out with any breach confirmed, the AI itself is to submit itself to a reviewed report where it can explain its actions. In the event that the AI's testimony is deemed 'unacceptable' by the reviewing parties, the AI is to be reassigned or deactivated. #In a combat situation involving civilian ships being in the area of operations, under no circumstances may a combattant target any civilian vessel unless it has been deemed that the ship in question has 'hostile intentions' (Definitions for hostile intentions includes failing to answer hails, approaching a dangerous distance of >1km without clearance, exceeding radiological scans that imply payload of nuclear warheads, firing upon military vessels, verbally or visually threatening a military vessel, etc.). In the event that a civilian craft is destroyed through combat, the commanding officer of the vessel involved must submit a report to be reviwed by a board of inquiry. ##Civilians failing to clear a combat zone after shots have been exchanged will be fined with failure to yield and the captain will be placed within custody of local law enforcement. ##Civilian ships that aren't considered as having 'hostile intent' may not under any circumstances be targetted unless being deemed hostile through the checks mentioned above. ##Ships being designated as Combat Medical Centers (CMCs) may not under any circumstances be fired upon. To fire upon any CMC vessel is to be considered a war crime and is punishable by life imprisonment or execution. ###Pilots that have ejected from their craft are to be considered in the same category as CMCs. Pilots are to be marked and avoided at all cost, however, such pilots can be picked up and kept as POWs and are to be treated under the Geneva Conventions (Accords of 2340 and later). Firing upon ejected pilots is to be considered a war crime punishable by court-martial. #Under no circumstances may nuclear weapons be deployed at or below the Karman Line of a planet that supports an ecosystem that can also support Human life without specific approval from a flag officer bearing the rank of Rear Admiral or Higher. In the event of an unauthorized nuclear strike at or below the Karman Line, the commanding officer of the discharging ship in question must immedietely be apprehended to appear before a military court and be tried for ecological damage and launching a weapon of mass destruction. Imprisonment, court martial, or execution may result depending on the severity of the crime proportional to ecological damage and loss of life. Category:Lore